Steering mechanism for automobiles.



No. 869,994.. PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907. R. P. THOMPSON & E. 'KOEB. STEERING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED 00116. 1906.

ZSHEETS-SHEET 1- JNVENTORS Ralph P. Thompwn. By Emil K0910.

WITNESSES.-

A TTORNEY.

No. 869,994 PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907.

- R. P. THOMPSON & E. KOEB.

STEERING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED 001216, 1905..

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTORS. Ralph P Thompson. EmLL Koeb.

AT TOR NEY.

WITNESSES.

RALPH P. THOMPSON AND EMIL KOEB, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

STEERING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1907.

Application filed October 16. 1905. semi No. 282,892.

To all whom it may concern: 'Be it known that we, RALPH P. THoMrsoN and .EMIL Koss, citizens of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have in-' vented certain new and useful Improvements in- Steering Mechanism for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to steering mechanism for au-- form; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a front elevation; Fig. 4 is a detail side elevation of the steering shaft' and its'bearing; Fig. 5 is a vertical sec-.

tional view, taken on the line y y of Fig. 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of the locking mechanism; Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of the same, and Fig. 8 is a detail plan view of .the worm and gear forming the steering gearing mounted on the front axle, the same beingshown somewhat enlarged and with the inclosing casing broken away to show the internal construction. I

In the said drawings, 1 indicates the main frame of an automobile, and 2 indicates the front axle thereof,

i provided with steering ground wheels 3. These latter are connected'to' the endsof the axle by the usual steering knuckles 4, having vertical pivots 5, and arms 6, by

,ties of the road. Any suitable connection may be employed for this purpose, but we prefer the construction illustrated, which is one which we havedevised, and which is described and claimed in another application filed by us of even date herewith. In this construction 'the front cross piece 7 of the frame has pivotally connected to it at 8, by means of a pivot w'hichis central andlongitudinal with respect to the machine, two transverse springs 9, the pivotal connection being at the center of the springs. These springs are spaced apart so as to receive between them the axle 2, and the ends of thesprings are connected to the ends of the axle in any suitable manner, as, for instance, by links 10.

Mounted upon the axle 2, and preferably'at the central portion thereof, is a worm 11, which meshes with a.

worm gearsegment 12, provided with an arm 13, which is connected by links or rods 14 with the arms 6 by which the position of the steering wheels is controlled.

' t will be observed that the Worm 11 and gear 12 are mounted upon the axle, so that the distance between I said worm gearing and the pivots 5 on which the steering wheels turn is always the same, being a fixed dis: tance. By reason of this construction, the strains upon the connecting rods are reduced to a minimum, and the danger of breakage from this source is avoided, while no shocks or strains are transmitted to the gearing when the wheels are moved to different positions verticallyby reason of the inequalities of the roadway. The worm gear segment 12 and the worm 11 may be connected to the axle 2 if desired,'but we prefer to employ a supporting plate 12 which is rigidly secured to the axle and to which the worm gear segment and the Worm are secured, as the supporting plate afiords a larger bear- ..ing surface and a'better support for these parts.

The wormll is coupled at its rear end bya universal coupling 15 to the forward end of a flexible rod 16, which extends rearward towards the operators seat. At this point is located the steering shaft 17, the lower end of which is coupled by a universalcoupling 18 to the rear end of the rod 16. The upper end-of the steer ing shaft is provided with the usual hand wheel 19. The shaft is mounted in a bearing .sleeve 20, the lower end of which is secured in a socket piece 21, having parallel pivot plates 22 to receive pivot screws 23, which are secured to lugs 24, mounted on the floor 25, or any other suitable part supported by or forming part of the main frame. The floor is shown as provided with a slot or opening 26 for the passage of therod 16. The pivot plates are shown as provided with stop shoulders 27, which, by their contact with the lugs 24, serve to limit the swinging movement of the steering shaft and its bearing sleeve, which, as usual in mechanism of this character, is arranged to swing forward and back longitudinally of the machine to facilitate the ingress and egress of the operator It will be understood that the pivotal center of the universal coupling 18 is in alinement with the pivot screws 23, in order to permit this swinging movement.

For the purpose of locking the steering shaft and its bearing in operative position and at the same time permitting its ready release,.we provide means for detachably connecting it to a fixed support 28, which is preferably the bearing sleeve of the controlling mechanism by which the fuel and air supply of the engine are controlled, as set forth in another application filed by us of even date herewith.- This fixed support or hearing sleeve is provided with a threaded lug 29, in which is screwed a clamping bolt 30, having a head 31 by means of which it may be readily grasped and turned by the operators fingers, and a shankportiqn 32 intervening between said head and the threaded portion of the bolt. The bearing sleeve 20 is provided with a lug 33, having an open mouth slot 34 which fits over the shank portion 32 of the bolt 30. When the steering shaft and its bearing are thrown back into operative position, as shown in Figs. 2, 6 and 7, the shank portion of the clamping bolt enters the slotted lug 33, and, by turning the bolt 30 in the proper direction, the lug 33 may be clamped between the lug 29 and the head of the clamping bolt. This operation may be readily performed, and the steering shaft may be as readily released by a slight turn of the clamping-bolt in the opposite direction.

It will be noted that the flexible rod, 16, which is preferably of steel or other resilient metal capable of relative position of the worm on the frontaxle and the bending, will accommodate itself to any changes in the steering shaft on the main frame, arising from the movements of the axle due to inequalities of the roadway, while the universal couplings will directly transmit the rotatory movement of the steering shaft to the worm, whatever their relative positions may be. Since the worm and its codperating gear segment remain locked against relative movement through forces other than those provided for their actuation, it will be seen that the steering wheelswill preserve any angle to which they may be adjusted relatively to their axle, since the worm gearing has, as already stated, a fixed relation relatively to the pivots of the steering wheels,

and the said angular relations of the steering wheels to theaxle are therefore not caused to vary by reason of movements of the axle relatively to the. main frame.

We do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to the precise details of construction hereinbefore described and: shown in the accompanying drawings, as

it is obvious that these details may be modified without departing from the principle of our invention.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new 1. In an automobile, the combination, With a main frame and an axle provided with pivoted steering ground wheels and spring connected to 'the main frame so as tobe movable relatively thereto, of'a supporting plate rigidly secured to said axle, a worm gear segment pivoted to and desire to secure by-Letters Patent said suppor ing plate and operatively connected with the steering ground wheels, a worm carried by said supporting plate and meshing with said worm. gear segment, and a controlling device supported on the main frame and operatively connected with said worm, substantially as described.

2. In an automobile, the combination, with ,a main frame, andan axle provided with pivoted steering ground wheels and spring-connected to the main frame so as to be movable relatively thereto, of a steering gearing mounted on said axle and operatively connected with the steering ground wheels, asteering shaft supported on the main frame, and aflexible rod provided with universal couplings whereby its ends are connected to said steering therewith, a steering shaft mounted on the n'iain frame,

and a flexible rod provided with universal couplings.

whereby its ends are connected to the steering shaft and worm, substantially as described.

4. In a steering mechaiiism' for automobiles, the. cohabination, with a. steering shaft having a steering hand wheel, of a bearing sleeve for said shaftprovided with pivot plates having stop shoulders, and fixed pivot lugs to which said pivot plates are pivotally connected, said lugs being arranged in the path of the stopshoulders, substantially as described.

5. In a steering mechanism for automobiles, the combl nation, with a fixed support having a clamping bolt threaded therein, of a steering shaft provided with a steering; wheel, and a bearing sleeve for saidsteering shaft pivoted to swing in a vertical plane,-said bearing sleeve being provided with a 1ug.'hnving,an open-mouthed slot adapted to receive that portion of said clamping bolt lying between its head and the part into which it is threaded, substantially as described. in testimony whereof, we aflix'our signatures in presence of two witnesses. Y

' RALPH P. THOMPSON.

EMIL KOEB.

Witnesses IRVINE MILLER, T. J. MCCORMICK. 

